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GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
- HUMAN FACTORS -
1 - THE ENHANCED GREENHOUSE
EFFECT.
HUMAN 1 - BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
• The fossil fuels are:-
• COAL
• OIL
• NATURAL GAS
• They are called fossil
fuels because they are
formed from the
remains of ancient
plants (coal) and
marine animals (oil).
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
When we
burn these
fuels, we
release
millions of
tonnes of
Carbon
Dioxide
(CO2) into
the
atmosphere.
There has
been an
enormous
increase in
these
greenhouse
gases since
the
Industrial
Revolution
began
about 200
years ago.
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Power stations are one of the main
producers of greenhouse gases
such as Carbon Dioxide.
Environmental
campaigners all
over the world are
demanding cuts in
CO2 emissions.
Here Greenpeace
uses a light
display to get its
message across.
HUMAN 1 - VEHICLE EXHAUSTS
Vehicle
exhausts
are the
main
source of
Nitrous
Oxides.
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Photo chemical smog in Beijing, China.
HUMAN 2 - INCREASED METHANE
The huge increase in world population and in the area of
land given over to crops in general and to rice
production in particular, has led to a rapid rise in global
methane production. Farmland for rice has doubled in
45 years.
I am a ruminant - when I
digest grass, I produce
methane - lots of it!
Measuring methane output…?
HUMAN 2 - INCREASED METHANE
• A cow can release about a quarter of a kg. of
methane a day.
• The number of cattle has doubled in the past 40
years. Sheep, goats and camels are also
ruminants.
• There are now 1.3 billion cattle, each burping /
farting methane several times a minute!
• The New Zealand government is proposing to
bring in a “flatulence” tax on cattle farms.
HUMAN 3 - DEFORESTATION
Forests absorb CO2 and
release oxygen:
...if they are cut down, atmospheric levels of CO2 must
rise as a consequence.
HUMAN 3 - DEFORESTATION
• Clearing
forest by
burning
releases huge
amounts of
stored CO2
back into the
atmosphere.
• The smoke
from the fires
also adds to
global air
pollution.
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE - REVIEW
OF MAIN POINTS
Physical Factors
Human Factors
•
•
•
•
• Burning fossil fuels
• Increased output of
methane
• Deforestation
Solar variation
Volcanic activity
Ocean currents
Milankovitch
cycles
KEY TERMS TO REMEMBER
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Solar variation / Sunspots
Volcanic eruptions /Sulphur dioxide /Aerosols
Milankovitch cycles
El Niño
Enhanced Greenhouse effect
Carbon Dioxide / Methane / Nitrous Oxides
The Industrial Revolution / burning fossil fuels
Paddy fields / cattle / methane production
Deforestation